Write the Character Sketch of Portia.

Ans.

PORTIA

The physical and intellectual excellences exquisitely and happily blended together make Portia a rare person- lovable, admirable and memorable.

Physically, Portia is exquisitely beautiful and vivacious. The fame of her beauty has spread far and wide with the result that suitors from the four corners of the world keep on making a pilgrimage of love to Belmont – the city where Portia lives.

Portia presents a harmonious fullness of character – she has so many qualities and so finely tempered together that we cannot help marvelling at her versatility. On the physical side she is gifted with the feminine graces of tenderness, sympathy and mercy. Intellectually, she is a lady of great accomplishments. She is gifted with wisdom, sound commonsense and a very ready, quick and sharp wit. She has the ability and talent to exploit these qualities to the maximum to achieve her purpose as we have seen on many occasions and more specially and specifically in the trial scene.

There is no doubt that she has a very strong sense of justice and through knowledge of the law. But it is equally true that she also has a very kind and tender heart. She blends “the soundness of judgment with sensibility and a buoyant enthusiasm in undertaking what her judgment approves”

She has a very strong sense of justice and honour. Although she is the mistress of her own affairs (her father being dead), she honours his dead father’s wish in agreeing to marry according to his choice-through the lottery of caskets. Again, she can help Bassanio in selecting the right casket but she does nothing of the sort.

She has that rare gift of grasping the import of a particular situation. At a time when Bassanio, and Portia too, are overflowing with joy at his success in choosing the right casket the news of Antonio’s misfortune is brought and Portia loses no time in realizing the gravity of the situation. She urges her husband to get to church to consummate the marriage (so that Bassanio becomes the legal joint owner of Portia’s property and may help Antonio better) and urges immediately proceed to Venice to help Antonio. Not only that, she also realizes that her husband will not be able to do much to secure Antonio’s release from the vicious grip of the sinister Jew. She therefore, not only plans Antonio’s defence but, without loss of any time, puts it into action. Thus it proves that Portia is a lady of great intellectual capability practical wisdom, commonsense and insight into human character and affairs.

Despite being a lady of great physical, intellectual and material resourcefulness Portia is neither vain nor boastful. She is humble and modest. She is distinguished from other characters by a mental superiority yet is free from affection and pedantry.

There is in her a perfect reconciliation of justice and mercy. She is aware of the temporal power of justice but she is more convinced of the divine quality of mercy. She pleads with Shylock to realize this and show mercy to Antonio. She repeatedly gives him chance to take the hint before it is too late. But the more she pleads the more rigid and intransigent does the Jew become. When she exhausts all her eloquence in trying to persuade Shylock, Portia proceeds to apply justice. And when she does it she spares him not-but even then she tells him that he can pray for his life to the Duke. It goes a long way to illustrate Portia’s kind and human heart.

There is a deep seriousness of character in her. At all the great moments of action in her play-in the beautiful speech of self-surrender to Bassanio (Act III Sc. II), when she perceives with sympathy his distress on learning about Antonio (Act III Sc. II); and lastly, when she pleads with Shylock and at length explains the quality of mercy-we note this seriousness and it is relieved by Vivo city of mood, joyous brilliance of manner and speech.

Portia has a very cultured sense of humour. She loses no opportunity of enjoying the innocent joy. We witness it when she comments on her many suitors. But we enjoy it most in the episode of the rings. But it must also be mentioned to the credit of Portia that she does not stretch any point too far. She has a keen sense of balance and proportion. After enjoying herself thoroughly at the expense of her husband Portia has the grace and tact of accepting Antonio’s intervention-ending Bassanio’s embarrassment, knowing Antonio and revealing her own role in Antonio’s release.

But for Portia’s wit, wisdom and other accomplishments Antonio would be dead.

Portia has great resourcefulness and self-reliance. The plan to go to Venice and herself seek the release of Antonio is her own. What is remarkable about this is the fact that it is conceived so soon and also that it is put into action immediately. One can easily comprehend what an incisive intellect Portia must be having rescued Antonio from a near impossible situation.

There is an exquisite equipoise in Portia’s character. She is head and shoulders above other characters and still so modest. She is so charming that no one perceives any blemish in her.

Portia represents the fair and gracious influences which nature has showered on her-the choicest gifts of unblemished character, rare beauty, intellectual attainment, rich heritage, training of a wose and virtuous father, noble birth and refined environment. Life for her has been very full of sunshine. And what she imbibes from her environments, she radiates in full measure for the benefit of all those around her:

“You drop manna in the way of starved people”. And Lorenzo is correct.